response to a Congressional request for agency -specific information on climate change, 2013

Transcription

1 Description of document: Requested date: Released date: Posted date: Source of document: Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) response to a Congressional request for agency -specific information on climate change, August December November-2014 Freedom of Information Act Request Director, Information Management Division Office of the Director of National Intelligence Washington, D.C Fax: (703) dni-foia@dni.gov The governmentattic.org web site ( the site ) is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided on the governmentattic.org web site or in this file. The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels. Each document is identified as to the source. Any concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question. GovernmentAttic.org is not responsible for the contents of documents published on the website.

2 Office of the Director of National Intelligence Washington, DC DEC Reference: ODNI Case# DF This is in response to your dated 4 August 2013, received in the Information Management Division of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on 8 August Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you are requesting "copy of the documents and/or any other response provided to the in response to their February 25, 2013 letter request to the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community, signed by Co Chairs Henry A. Waxman and Sheldon Whitehouse, Edward J. Markey and Benjamin L. Cardin." Your request was processed in accordance with the FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended. A thorough search of our records and databases located 1 document responsive to your request. Upon review, it is determined that the document may be released in segregable form with deletions made pursuant to FOIA exemption (b)(3). Exemption (b )(3) applies to information exempt from disclosure by statute. The relevant withholding statute is the National Security Act of 1947, as amended, 50 U.S.C. 3024(m)(l), which protects, among other things, the names and identifying information of ODNI personnel. You have the right to appeal this determination within 45 days of the date of this letter to: Office of the Director of National Intelligence Information Management Office Washington, DC Should you decide to do this, please explain the basis of your appeal. If you have any questions, please call the Requester Service Center at (703) Enclosure Director, Information Management Division

3 UNCLASSIFIED/JFOUO INSPECTOR GENERAL OF THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY WASHINGTON, DC March 2013 The Honorable Henry A Waxman Ranking Member Committee on Energy & Commerce The Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse Chairman Subcommittee on Oversight, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works The Honorable Edward J. Markey Ranking Member Committee on Natural Resources The Honorable Benjamin L. Cardin Chairman Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works Dear Representative Waxman, Senator Whitehouse, Representative Markey, and Senator Cardin: (U) Thank you for your 25 February 2013 letter highlighting the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recent add of climate change to the High Risk List for You made a two-part request for information on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) climate change efforts. Specifically. the first part of the request asks my office to: 1. Identify the existing requirements in legislation. regulation. executive order, and other directives that apply to the ODNI on climate change; 2. Assess whether the ODNI is meeting those requirements; and 3. If the ODNI is not fully meeting the requirements, make recommendations for improving ODNI's performance. UNCLASSIFIED//FOYO

4 UNCLASSIFIED//POUO SUBJECT: IC IG Climate Review Page2 The second part of the request asks my office to: 1. Assess the authorities of the ODNI to reduce emissions of heattrapping pollution; 2. Assess the authorities of the ODNI to make the nation more resilient to the effects of climate change; and 3. Identify effective additional steps the ODNI could take to reduce emissions or strengthen resiliency. (U I / FOUO) As your letter states, the President recognized that additional action by federal agencies is needed in this arena. The ODNI is engaged with various initiatives to comply with the President's new mandates on addressing climate change issues. These new mandates must be solidified and implemented within the ODNI prior to initiating an IC IG review to address part one of this request as existing climate change requirements are currently being adjusted to meet the President's challenge. (U I / FOUO) As for the second part of the request, we have requested a legal review from the ODNI's Office of General Counsel (OGC) to determine the DNI's authorities, if any, to reduce emissions of heat-trapping pollution and to make the nation more resilient to the effects of climate change. These legal determinations will impact part one of this request as well given that some authorities may be dependent on existing legislative, regulatory, or directive requirements applicable to the ODNI for climate change. (U) Therefore, at the present time, the IC IG is not best positioned to conduct the assessments and reviews as you have envisioned. We will endeavor to assess the ODNI's compliance with all climate change mandates once those mandates are implemented and the ODNI's OGC has provided their legal review of the DNI's authorities to address climate change. We will provide the DNI and the Task Force Members with the results of any review we conduct regarding the impact of climate change on the ODNI. UNCLASSIFIED//1"009-2

5 UNCLASSIFIED//POUO SUBJECT: IC IG Cl1mate Review Page 3 (U) Thank you for your support of the IG com~ave any questions regarding this letter, please contact me at.._.._ Sincerely,!Exemption (b)(3)i e~ vz~ Inspector General of the Intelligence Community Cc: The Honorable Dianne Feinstein The Honorable Saxby Chambliss The Honorable Michael Rogers The Honorable C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger The Honorable James R. Clapper, Director National Intelligence UNCLASSIFIED/ /POUO 3